Audrey Spalding: Choice is ultimate democracy

3:16 PM,
Nov. 27, 2013

Written by

Audrey Spalding

In its Nov. 23 editorial ("Charters, choice are strangling our public schools"), the Battle Creek Enquirer insinuated that charter schools are not public schools and that allowing students and parents to choose among schools is "doing immeasurable harm to our democracy."

The claims in the editorial were contorted or simply untrue. Charter public schools enroll more disadvantaged students than conventional schools, and are posting better student outcomes.

But more disturbing is the notion that parents should not be able to choose where their children go to school. A system of ...